The silent treatment might be employed by passive personality types to avoid conflict and confrontation, while strong personality types use it to punish or control. Some people may not even consciously choose it at all.
Research has found that people who received the silent treatment experienced a threat to their needs of belonging, self-esteem, control, and meaningful existence. This type of behavior reinforces the feeling that someone we care about wants nothing to do with us. It can feel as though you don't exist.
Sometimes, a person may give someone the silent treatment because they are too angry, hurt, or overwhelmed to speak. They may be afraid of saying something that makes the situation worse. In these cases, it can be helpful for each person to take some time to cool off before getting together to discuss the issue calmly.
Clearly, silent treatment creates an atmosphere of anxiety, fear, and sadness that preclude an underlying sense of safety. As such, it causes unhappiness and psychological harm that most often heightens conflict in a relationship. It can lead one to feel anger, abandonment, rejection, and overall distress.
And any lack of communication is never positive since it's essential in every relationship to be able to openly and honestly express your feelings. Even worse, when taken to the extreme, the silent treatment can become a way to try to manipulate and control someone.
If someone displays unmanageable emotions and easily flies off the handle, this is a serious red flag. Responding with uncontrollable rage or the "silent treatment" could point to abusive (physical or emotional) behavior in the future, says Trombetti.
Quiet people are more likely to be thoughtful and sensitive, but they're also less likely to get angry or frustrated quickly. They may have trouble expressing their emotions at first because they're not used to showing them in public or in front of other people.
Being ignored stimulates the part of the brain that detects physical pain, so silent treatment is very emotionally and physically painful. It can lead to negative emotions, like distress and anger. In addition, people who are often ignored tend to have lower self-esteem and feel that their lives have less meaning.
Remember that silence can never be a solution to the silent treatment. Always approach them directly but in a calm and gentle manner. Take a deep breath, clear your mind, and talk in a private place. Make sure they are comfortable.
With all of the constant noise you hear on a day-to-day basis, embracing silence can help stimulate your brain and help you process information. It can also help you become more self-aware and relieve stress. Embracing silence may also help you settle into the present moment and quiet any racing thoughts.
A narcissist's silent treatment can last for hours, days, weeks, or even months. Our survey among 500 people who have experienced narcissistic abuse revealed that on average, a narcissist's silent treatment lasts four-and-a-half days and usually ends when the narcissist needs more narcissistic supply.
Silent Treatment – What It is and What It's Not
But here's the thing about blatantly ignoring someone: not only is it rude, immature, inconsiderate, cruel, and petty, it's downright emotionally (and sometimes physically) damaging. Ignoring someone is not an act of love. In fact, silent treatment qualifies as abuse.
The simple answer to the above questions is yes. When you walk away and make him miss you, it's typical for a man to come back to you. The power of silence after a breakup is highly effective in making your partner come back. To start with, going silent after a breakup is a sign of confidence and self-esteem.
If your partner continues to give you the silent treatment time after time, help him work on redirecting the habit that has developed in his life. Wait until he begins speaking to you again, and then address the issue. A Lot of times the Silent Treatment has been ingrained in a person's personality.
No contact is you setting a boundary to regain control in your life. This is not abusive. Silent treatment from the narcissist is meant for you to “learn a lesson” and realize how wrong you were to the narcissist.
It can leave significant psychological and emotional repercussions on the person on the receiving end. Being left in silence can be extremely painful, as it involves the loss of connection, love, intimacy, and sometimes even family participation.
Being quiet doesn't mean that you are shy or insecure. Quiet confident people exude an energy of self-assurance and strength, which is very attractive to other people. It might be quiet, but it's powerful! It also shows that you are comfortable in your own skin.
The silent treatment can be amazingly scary. This is true whether they are in the same home or if they have left the home and you have no ability to see what they are doing. Here's why. One of the number one survival strategies for a victim of abuse is to know the state of their partner.
As a form of control and punishment, there is certainly an element that is quite sadistic. In fact, when people are asked “Why did you give the silent treatment?”, the common answer is “I was punishing them”.
A person who is ignored feels a wide range of confusing emotions. They may feel anger, sadness, frustration, guilt, despair, and loneliness, all at once. Naturally, such emotional confusion can have a damaging effect on your psyche. It can decrease your sense of self-worth.
Silence speaks volumes
The best revenge is no reaction. Believe it, the silence and zero reaction really bothers your ex, and they consider it as the best served revenge. Nothing creates more curiosity than silence. Your ex would expect a vent or an angry rant from you, but don't give in.
Speak up to protect yourself and others, speak up not to regret remaining silent. Speak your mind instead of suppressing your emotions. Speak up because others may not know what you know, so use it as a possibility to educate yourself and broaden your horizons.
Cain makes the argument that there can be times when saying nothing can be much more powerful than talking. In other words, there is real power in silence. In fact, Chinese philosopher Lau Tzu said, " Silence is a source of great strength."